An irish Lovestory - the summer of Life

The Family History

She spends the whole day on Manadis' back, riding across her ancestral land. She knows she can't run away from her family forever, but she needs a few days to come to terms with the idea of a noble family. With the wind in her face and her hair down, she explores the country and forgets her lovesickness.
When she rides back to the farm in the early evening, her aunt is already waiting for her. "Carlotta, will you please come in and change in a moment?" Carlotta nods, takes Manadis to the stable, rubs her down and quickly runs to her room. There her mother is already waiting for her in front of the open wardrobe, looking at some clothes. When she notices her daughter, who would like to sneak out again straight away, June says: "Off to the shower, hurry up please, and then please put on this green dress here once." Carlotta is already tired of being bossed around so much by her mother, but she also knows that it comes especially from her father.
So she quickly goes to shower off and puts on the dress her mother picked out for her. Then a maid escorts her downstairs to the fireplace room, where Benedict, Pippa and June are already waiting. Next to them stands a middle-aged man in some kind of smock, looking at his watch. "It's about time," he says as Carlotta enters the room. Her aunt says, "Would you please sit in this chair and look at Mr Smith." Carlotta nods, sits down on the chair and lets the strange man take her picture in different poses.
After what feels like hours, the man is satisfied and says that they will now go out again and take family photos. June and Pippa have also changed in the meantime, Benedikt walks around perfectly styled in patent leather shoes and suit the whole day anyway.
At the front of the big staircase in front of the Spruce Valley they stop and take a few more photos until the man finally says that he has good material and that it would take about a week to finish. Carlotta doesn't understand a thing, but when she sits with Helen and Johanna in the beauty salon after dinner, they tell her what the man wanted. "He's painting pictures for the gallery of ancestors in the fireplace room and some of the photos will also be published in the newspaper," Johanna enlightens her. Helen adds: "I can already see the headline in the paper in a few days: The lost Kaichonski-Warren daughter has arrived home. And underneath: Who is the young red-haired one of the family? The interview with her!" Carlotta groans. The current attention is already too much for her, if she ends up in the newspaper now too, maybe her classmates or Vera will find out too and she doesn't really want that. But her father will force her to do the interview anyway, so it can't be avoided.
They go to bed early so that they can do something together the next day, but as they had already anticipated, Benedikt Kaminski puts a spoke in their wheel. "You stay here today and do interviews! Also for television in Germany and Ireland. In twenty minutes in sensible clothes in the garden. Be on time!" Carlotta groans as her father has turned the corner. Helen is pleased that interviews are being conducted with all three, but is also a little disappointed that the three girls can't spend the day together in the stable or in town.
The three disappear into their rooms and put on clothes that are good to show off but not too overdressed. No sooner have they finished and done their hair again than they are called downstairs where Pippa is already waiting. "You look lovely girls. Now, chin up, put on a smile and at least pretend you're happy to be here and doing these interviews. Just be yourselves." Helen grins, she and Johanna smile anyway, it's only Carlotta who is a little difficult. But she too puts on a smile and together with her aunt the three girls step out into a small sheltered corner under a gazebo in the garden. The first camera crew is already waiting for them there. It promises to be a long day.

The first questions are simply about Carlotta, what kind of person she is and how she finds living in this noble family. As Carlotta is, she answers each question very honestly, much to the displeasure of her father who is standing nearby. Helen and Johanna also say a little to her, but a little less honestly, because if the press knew everything about Carlotta, it would be a bit silly. "Is there also a young prince or something like that in your life?" one of the reporters asks, to which Carlotta says, "Yes, there is, but he's currently sitting in Germany after we had a bit of a row."
Benedikt stares at her and has his hands to his throat. Carlotta looks over at him, amused. The cameras follow her gaze and now show her father as well. "Mr Kaminski, come over here for a moment, please," one of the reporters says. Somewhat agonised, Benedict walks over to the girls and puts his hand on his daughter's shoulder. "How would you describe your daughter?" one of the reporters asks him. He answers with a put-on smile: "As the most beautiful gift in the world. She is a free spirit, which you can also see in her sometimes very lively manner. But she is and always will be a wonderful person, with a huge heart in the right place." He nods and walks back towards the house. Carlotta looks after him for a moment.
"Carlotta, how is your relationship with the rest of your family?" asks an attentive reporter who noticed the look on her face when her father came very close. She thinks for a moment and then says: "Definitely better than that with the two who have raised me so far. However, my father and I are not quite warming up to each other yet. My relationship with my mother isn't the best either, but I have a pretty good relationship with my aunt." She falters briefly and considers whether to say anything else, then decides to do so. "After all, I still live in Germany, where you can't get me away so quickly either, at my boyfriend's house. There the relationship with his parents is better than with my parents." Helen nods next to her and confirms that she has a better relationship with Maria and Gustav Giesmas than with Benedikt Kaminski and June Warren. The reporters are a little taken aback. "June Kaichonski-Warren is your mother?!" one of the reporters asks. Carlotta frowns for a moment and Johanna bursts out, "Of course June, who else?" The young reporter says carefully, "Pippa Kaichonski-Warren was the only one of the two sisters who ever had a child and then lost it!" The two sisters now appear in the background. When they realise what is going on, they immediately break off the interview and cancel all further television interviews as well.
They take the girls inside and take them straight to the fireplace room. No sooner have they locked the door so that no one can get in, than the girls start pestering the two sisters with questions. "Then Pippa is my mother and not June?!" asks Carlotta, but the two shake their heads. "June is your mother, but yes, it's true, I was the only one to see that she was pregnant and the only one to announce that she was having a baby. As luck would have it, we were both pregnant at the same time and also had our children with only a few days difference. I had twins, a girl and a boy, while June only had you." She falters briefly and looks at the girls. She has a few tears running down her face. June continues, "Back in the car accident, they both disappeared, no one knows where they are. Our chauffeur was unconscious and later succumbed to his injuries in hospital, Heinrich pronounced me dead and Pippa was also very injured and couldn't do anything."
Benedict has quietly entered the room and says, "Her half-sister was also there at the time, also with her daughter, Evanna. The two of them were the only ones unharmed, but they withdrew from the public eye afterwards."
Carlotta looks at her family and also at her two friends. A brief eye contact, then she runs out of the room to the stable. Helen and Johanna follow her. "You can't help it if they don't tell you. Be glad you have them, maybe Pippa's children will turn up too," Helen says carefully. Johanna agrees and persuades the girls to go for a ride to be able to process what they have heard.